Thanks for the freedom
by Colonellbrony
Summary: I can finally be free


Please for the love of Celestia, close your browser now. I don't want to hurt you.  
My name is Lightning runner, I live in lemon grove, a small town west of Appleloosa. I own a candy shop on the main street, right next to the train station. It isn't too big, I get about 100 bits a day, mostly from towns folk. Lemon grove does however have a harvest summer fair, that attracts hundreds of ponies. Thats when I get most of my business.

It was June 4th, the opening day of the fair, and I had just opened the shop for the day. A large train came into the station and hundreds of ponies from all races came pouring out of the cars. I got inside and maned the cash register. There was a huge crowd in the beginning, like always. A tall, and beautiful mare came up to the register. She wanted a lemon tart, with a lemon shake to go with it. I brought the girl her order, and she handed me the bits, like normal. When I noticed something strange. A tall pony. It looked like a alicorn, but it had no horn, and no wings. It's coat was black, with a red line down the middle. Like he was wearing a suit. I didn't get a look at his face before the mare caught my attention.

"Sir, are you okay" she said, as it would seem I dropped the bits, and my face felt cold. I snapped out of it, and picked up the bits and put them away. I looked back to where the strange man was standing. There was nothing but an excited filly pointing at the different sweets I was selling.

The day went on, and I continued to see the strange pony everywhere. It seemed to stand in line every time I saw it, but no one noticed him, not even the person behind him. Every time I tried to look at him, he vanished. 7:00 pm, closing time. I had enough bits to buy a mansion, (not really but it felt like that) and I was ready to sleep the night away.

When I got home I locked the door, made myself some soup, and began to lounge on the couch, watching T.V. I kept getting a feeling of despair, like I was going to die at any second. It was weird, that strange pony kept flashing in my mind. I kept getting the urge to check the window, like all I needed to do was open my curtains, and all this would go away. So I did, and if I would have known what was out there I wouldn't have. Standing under a light, was that strange pony. I got a look at his face. It was blank, like my mind couldn't comprehend it. No eyes, no mouth, no anything. I closed the curtains and resorted back to my childish response of ducking under the blanket. I sat there for at least a hour, then I fell asleep.

My dreams were horrid. I was in my store, just like before, thats when I saw him again. This time however, everyone else disappeared. It was just him and me, no one out side. In fact there was no outside, just black. I looked down, black, like we were the only things that exist. I noticed a little filly, as I remember it was Twist a filly from ponyville that bought some lemon cider. She was smiling, almost as if she didn't notice the monster right next to her. The "lights" flash then she was gone. So was he. I saw a small note on the ground that said:

Cant run, with a x and an o, with a line between them

I woke up, it was obviously morning and the thing was gone. I breathed a sigh of relief, and began to get up. Then I noticed something, something clicked in my mind. When I saw him first, he was 20 people back. Which is about 60 ft back, the next time was one pony closer or 55 ft back. It was advancing at 5 ft each encounter. The light post was 20 ft away from my house. I didn't have much time left. Only four more encounters until he got me.

I had heard that there was a pony in ponyville that was looking into the paranormal around equestria. So I bought a ticket and got on the first train to ponyville. I saw him many times on the way back. Maybe it was just my paranoia, mixed with my sleep deprivation.

I finally got to ponyville, it really was a nice place. It took me awhile to remember I was being stalked by a tall faceless pony. I asked the nearest pony where I could find a "Paranormal Defense and Research Laboratories", and they pointed me to a tall tree, which I can only assume was a library. I knocked on the door, and a purple unicorn came to greet me. "Hello, my name is Twilight Sparkle."

"Uh, h-hey Twilight" I wasn't used to talking, after my deep thoughts on the train ride. "Are you part of the PDRL?" Her eyes lightened, and she dragged me into the library. "I am the head of the organization!" she said with pride. "I need your help, see I have been seeing these strange things lately." I said, looking around making sure he wasn't watching. "Hmm, maybe a ghost or maybe a CUO... Could you describe it"

"It was tall an..."  
"maybe a alicorn ghost"  
"it has tentacles growing form it's back"  
"maybe just a creature of unknown origin"  
"and it...it had no face."

She stopped, her face went pale. She stepped back and picked up a hatch that was disguised as floorboards. "After you." she said, her tone was a strange mix of curiosity and a touch of fear.  
I went down into the hatch. It was dark, but I could make out a shelf filled with books. Twilight closed the hatch, and turned on the light. The shelfs were lined with folders, each with names of ponies on the spines.  
Trixie  
Flim  
Flam  
Gilda (this had a star by it, to mark that it wasn't a pony file.)  
Sour Patch  
Monachello  
Honey Heart

She took out a large book. It said on the side Slendermane. The name gave me shivers. "This is my personal archives, each contain all the info I can gather about each pony right before their disappearance." She flipped to a picture of a cave drawing.

"You are being followed by a creature known as the Slendermane. It stalks ponies, and takes them." I shuttered, was this to be my fate? Taken by that god damn thing? "This is the first recorded sighting of him, but in here he appears more humanoid, it walks on two legs and has 'hands', this is nothing we have ever seen before in equestira. He probably exist on the tulpa effect (he only exist when thought about or feared.)" She turned the page again, this time it was of the same pony I saw before, but in a photo. It was taken by a few fillies with the everfree forest behind them. In the trees, there stood Slendermane, just standing there. "Those 3 filles all disappeared, and the in next recored sighting..." she flipped the page "he is smaller, still strange and disfigured, but smaller." Twilight levitated the book labeled Gilda and set it on the table. "Here he looks more Griffon-like, with a long body, and more of a beak. This gives me reason to believe that he takes the form of others, however here..." she took out a piece of paper that showed the spread of victims. "we see that the targets are linked in some way. Like here..." and she pointed to the bubble between Twist and Trixie. "Twist saw Trixie perform, and she hated her. Also here you see that Flim got Flam. This gives me reason to believe that the victim becomes him, while they just fade away. Perhaps being the Slendermane is painful, and they just want to get rid of it."

"To be honest this is the first time I have ever seen a living witness of the Slendermane. This is a great breakthrough for my stud..." She stopped and her face turned pale again. The hatch was open, and all you could see. Was his face, just staring at us. Twilight shrieked, and hid in the corner. When I looked back, he was gone. I left for the nearest gun shop, which was nearly impossible, since equestria is against them.

So I sat, and waited I had the gun In my hooves, and I watched the door. He would come, and this time he would kill me. I won't let him though, maybe I can kill him. I closed my eyes, but only for a second, and of course when I opened them, he was there.  
"why are you doing this? What did I do"  
It looked at me, but it cocked it's head. It said in a very low voice.  
"I'm sorry, I just can't take the pain."  
That was all that I remember.  
Thank you for this.  
I cannot hurt anyone in this world, but now I am free.  
I can travel between worlds through the power of thought.  
You know who I am, Thank you.  
I cannot take the pain.  
Hopefully you can...


End file.
